Archived Stories
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is famous the world over. Located in the state of California, it connects San Francisco to nearby Marin County. The picture you see here is a drawing that appeared on a old postcard. As you can see, the bridge was -- and still is -- big,...
Thomas Edison Didn’t Give Up
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, the record player, movie-making equipment, and lots of other things, too. But, he made plenty of mistakes. For every great discovery that worked, he made hundreds of things that didn’t work. But, he didn’t give up.Thomas Edison...
Air Conditioning: Willis Carrier’s Very Cool Invention
In 1902, fresh out of college, a young man named Willis Carrier went to work in Buffalo, New York at a company that made equipment for factories. Within a few years, he had invented something he called, “An Apparatus for Treating Air,” better known today...
George Washington Carver: A Friend to Farmers!
George Washington Carver (1860s-1943) was born in a town called Diamond, Missouri, but he became famous as a professor at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. It was there that he taught his students better ways to farm. An important part of farming is figuring out...
Susan B. Anthony Followed Her Conscience
There was a time when American women weren't allowed to vote. But Susan B. Anthony, along with many other people, finally made things right. Susan was born in Adams, Massachusetts in 1820. She learned to read when she was only 3. Later in life, she became a powerful...
Silly Putty: A Silly Success Story
As an invention, it didn’t work. As a toy, it did. It happened like this. In the 1940s, scientists invented a funny-feeling substance that bounced, stretched, and lifted pictures off of newspapers. The stuff was fun to play with, but the scientists couldn't figure out...